POLLOK were sent crashing out of the Scottish Junior Cup after firing a rare scoring blank.

A Brian Carrigan goal saw Linlithgow Rose win 1-0 in a pulsating quarter-final - but the root cause of the Glasgow side's demise can be attributed to their own glaring failure to find the net for the first time in 32 games this season.

A cruel injury blow ruled top marksman Brian Dingwall out of Lok's starting line up, while Alan Waddell picked up a hamstring injury which forced him off early in the second half.

Between them, they account for almost half the entries in Pollok's goals-for column, so losing their services was a hammer blow, even though strikers Robert Downs and Davie Turnbull worked their socks off for a breakthrough.

Andy McLay apart, Pollok's engine room quintet struggled to make an impact, despite the extra man advantage afforded in going up against Linlithgow's rigid 4-4-2 set up.

McLay said: "To lose out is desperately disappointing but we only have ourselves to blame. I felt we started well and got into good areas, only for the quality of our deliveries in the final third to let us down.

"After they went ahead, Linlithgow made it difficult for us by sitting in deep with four defenders strung across their penalty area."

The game's deciding strike arrived in 23 minutes and against the run of play, coming at a time when Lok had the better of early exchanges.

Rose midfielder Mark Whyte fired over a diagonal right wing cross, which Joe Carruth looked odds-on to clear until ex-Rangers signing Andy Dick's head flick found Carrigan, who buried a 15-yard shot beyond helpless Lok goalkeeper Kris Robertson.

It was as you were after the interval with Pollok holding the upper hand territorially but lacking the guile to unlock Gow's resolute rearguard. And even Rab Sneddon introducing attacking substitutes Turnbull, Richie Newall and Simon Black did not bring about any perceivable change to the pattern of play other than earn a flurry of corner kicks.

Rueful team boss Sneddon insisted his players had thrown away a cup-winning opportunity in summing up.

"Given the quality of our performances all season, we had a decent chance of going all the way " he lamented.

"But I can have few complaints about this result - the simple truth is not enough of us turned up on the day.

"And though anything but a one-man team, there is no escaping the fact that Dingy's injury meant we never really put pressure on them or asked questions of their goalkeeper.

"It's the equivalent of Rose without Carrigan, who stuck away the one chance he had over 90 minutes."

Meanwhile, a distinct lack of a cutting edge also brought about the last eight downfall of shock troops Lanark United, whose plucky Junior Cup run was abruptly halted by Kelty Hearts' striker, John Martin, who netted the only goal of the game to decide a dour Moor Park struggle, dominated by the defences. Faddy turns it around

THERE was no shortage of goals at Dunterlie where a huge cup upset beckoned at half-time with outsiders Yoker deservedly leading Arthurlie 2-0 thanks to Raymond Dunne and Robert Cuthbert counters.

Bringing on pacy striker Alan McFadden proved a masterstroke by Lie boss Gary Faulds. John Bradford halved their deficit and then livewire Faddy ran riot, setting Paul Hilland to bullet home the equaliser before volleying home himself to put his team 3-2 up.

He then set up John Johnston to seal a 4-2 victory.

Neilston made a dream start against Kilwinning when Tom Murdoch slotted away an early penalty.

But it was all downhill after that for the Brig O'Lea men as goals by Gavin Orr and Stevie Reid gave the Ayrshire cracks a 2-1 win.

Neilston were reduced to ten men after skipper Andy Whiteford was red carded.